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Monday, 19 June 2017

AUSTRALIAN POLICE WITHDRAW FROM CYPRUS PEACEKEEPING MISSION AFTER 53 YEARS.

AUSTRALIAN POLICE WITHDRAW FROM
CYPRUS PEACEKEEPING MISSION AFTER 53 YEARS.

Australian police have marked
their withdrawal from the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
after more than 53 years of service. UNFICYP is the world's longest-running
peacekeeping mission, and is focused on building and maintaining stability
between the north and south of Cyprus.

Australia has contributed to
UNFICYP since May 1964. A total of 111 contingents involving more than 1600
officers from all states and territories have served with UNFICYP. Australian
Federal Police Commissioner Andrew Colvin said Australian police have a proud
history in Cyprus.

"We have made a positive
contribution to support order and stability in Cyprus, and provide humanitarian
assistance to people in need," Commissioner Colvin said. "This
mission provided an important foundation for Australia's footprint in
international policing. We now have officers stationed in 31 countries as part
of our international operations.

"Following our long-standing
commitment in Cyprus, we will look to redeploy our resources to the
Asia-Pacific region to enhance stability closer to home, and to address
domestic security threats." Australia's presence in Cyprus began when the
first contingent of police officers arrived on the island on 26 May, 1964.
There were 40 officers in total, including then-First Constable Ian Hardy. Mr
Hardy, now 79, returned to Cyprus this week.

A ceremonial flag lowering took
place at sunset in Cyprus yesterday to signify the conclusion of Australia's
time with UNFICYP. The service was attended by senior police and dignitaries
from Australia and Cyprus, and around 40 men and women who have served in past
Australian contingents. The families of the three Australian police officers
killed in the service of peace in Cyprus also made the pilgrimage to Cyprus.

Sergeant Llewellyn Thomas, from
South Australia Police, was involved in a car accident near Limassol and
succumbed to his injuries on 26 July 1969. Inspector Patrick Hackett, from the
NSW Police Force, was killed in a car accident near Stroumbi on 29 August 1971.
Sergeant Ian Ward, also from the NSW Police Force, was killed on 12 November
1974, when the vehicle he was travelling in struck a landmine in the buffer
zone between the north and south.

On Thursday, the Thomas, Hackett
and Ward families attended the unveiling of a memorial dedicated to the memory
of their loved ones. The limestone obelisk was hand-crafted by a local
sculptor, and stands two metres tall next to St Columba's Church in the United
Nations Protected Area in Nicosia.

AFP Inspector Bronwyn Carter, who
is the final Australian Police Contingent Commander in Cyprus, said she felt
privileged to have contributed to the important work of UNFICYP. "Being
part of a multicultural organisation dedicated to peace and harmony has been an
extremely rewarding experience," Inspector Carter said.

"For the past five decades,
we have been welcomed by all aspects of the community and we have excellent
relationships with the Cypriot people. I am hopeful for the successful
unification of Cyprus." The Australian Federal Police will fully withdraw
from Cyprus by the end of June.